Such wonderful threads. . .such great Joni Content lately! --What?? We do that here, too?? ;-)
About "Electricity": You know, I'd long assumed that some of the other songs on _For the Roses_, like "See You Sometime," were about James Taylor. However, although the timing is correct, I never made the Joni/JT/Carly connection with "Electricity." It feels dead-on right, though: in part, because I think JT could, indeed, sing a lover to sleep with a special song, perhaps an original one, and have it run "all through her circuits like a heartbeat" (what a relaxing voice!). I also think that such a gift would be especially appreciated by Carly, a singer and songwriter herself. About "A Case of You": I have always assumed that this song was written for Graham Nash, if only because of the depth of feeling described. Although Leonard Cohen would be linked to the map of Canada, I somehow had the sense that, whatever else it also may have been, Joni's relationship with Cohen was, in large part, mentor and student, and that at some point, Joni outgrew the need for such a mentor and moved on. I remember that, in an early interview, Joni stated that Cohen helped her, in general, to "work on the poignancy of a song." On the other hand, a Cohen connection might explain, "part of you pours out of me in these lines from time to time," as well as, "I'm frightened by the devil / And I'm drawn to the ones that ain't afraid," given Cohen's fascination with religious matters and his unorthodox approach to same. On balance, though, my vote goes to Nash. I get the sense that he and Joni were deeply, deeply connected. Mary P., --done speculating about Joni's love life for the day! <g> P.S. Speaking of Cohen, his 2001 release, "Ten New Songs," is a gem, even though his voice has deteriorated even further, if that's possible, and the musical arrangements would have benefited from having them performed by real, live musicians, rather than a computer. Still, while it might not be a good introduction for others, I can't recommend it highly enough to Cohen fans.
